Ian Ponter

Practice Areas

Ian enjoys an extensive national planning and public law practice. He is highly rated, consistently featuring in Planning’s list of top-rated junior barristers. He appears for both developers and local planning authorities at inquiries for housing, employment, retail, energy and waste schemes. He also appears at development plan examinations (both promoting and objecting to draft plans), and at CPO inquiries (as well as proceedings in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) dealing with compensation issues arising out of compulsory purchase). On top of his busy inquiry practice, he appears in the High Court on judicial reviews, statutory planning challenges, and injunctive proceedings.

Professional Memberships

PEBA

Work Highlights

Some examples of recent inquiry experience include;

securing residential consent on a greenfield site on the edge of a Cotswolds village close to the AONB;

securing residential consent (without the provision of affordable housing) for a 300+ unit scheme on a brownfield site in Nottinghamshire;

successfully resisting linked enforcement and s78 appeals on a controversial Green Belt site on which 5 large houses had been built without the benefit of planning permission;

successfully resisting a s78 appeal for a new crematorium development in the countryside (on behalf of an existing nearby operator).

Some examples of recent development plan examination appearances include;

successfully objecting to the most recent draft York Local Plan on behalf of a landowner (by challenging the LPA’s approach to its Green Belt review);

promoting Calderdale’s emerging local plan.

Some examples of recent High Court appearances include;

successfully quashing an Inspector’s decision granting planning permission in section 288 proceedings on behalf of Manchester City Council;

successfully resisting judicial review of a decision by Birmingham City Council to grant planning permission for significant residential development.